Paula Badosa, Belinda Bencic, Elena Rybakina all out of WTA Finals race after defeats in Guadalajara

Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka advanced to the last 16 at the Guadalajara Open after world No. 3 Paula Badosa retired at the end of the first set.

At 4-1 down the Spaniard called on the trainer but decided to play on. However, when Azarenka closed out the set with an ace to make it 6-2, Badosa retired due to illness. Ad Defeat for Badosa means she is out of the race to qualify for the WTA finals.

WTA GuadalajaraBencic battles past Fernandez in thriller to keep WTA Finals dream alive18/10/2022 AT 07:54 «You never want anybody to retire, we go out here to compete and do our best,» Azarenka said afterwards. «It's really sad that Paula wasn't able to finish the match. I hope she recovers quickly.

I'm sure we're going to have a few more matches to play, so I'm looking forward to those.» Azarenka will play Madison Keys on Thursday. The American beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 4-6 6-3 which keeps the American in contention for one of three remaining spots at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. Belinda Bencic is out of the race after she lost to Sloane Stephens 6-4 6-4.

The American overpowered her Swiss opponent and won 76% of her points on her first serve compared to Bencic at 57%. «Obviously, Guadalajara suits my game well, and I've been playing some good tennis here,» Stephens said. «I probably have the most wins on the tour in Guadalajara this season.

»So it's been nice for me. Obviously, I've had some good results and some good memories, so just looking forward to getting out there tomorrow." The Muguruza mystery: What's happened to the former World No. 1? ATP moves back tour final match by two hours to avoid World Cup clash Stephens will play No.